Hidden Dangers: Arsenic-Treated Playground Equipment

Your kids‘ playground is probably the last place you’d ever expect to find toxic chemicals. But from the 1970’s up until as late as 2003, a considerable amount of wood used to construct playground equipment, decks, picnic benches and many more fixtures found in public spaces were pressure treated with a preservative containing toxic arsenic . This means that playground you’ve been letting your children innocently play on could be reaping havoc on their delicate immune systems, exposing them to risks related to nerve damage, immune diseases, reproductive hazards, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, changes in hormone function and skin — and the list goes on. Read ahead for more details on this dangerous chemical and what you can do to help keep your family safe.